noun

butterscotch

BUH-tuh-skoch

Butterscotch (noun) means a hard candy or sauce made from butter, brown sugar, and syrup. Example: “Grandma always kept a tin of butterscotch on the shelf.”

noun

A hard candy or sauce made from butter, brown sugar, and syrup.

"Grandma always kept a tin of butterscotch on the shelf."

"The cake was drizzled with warm butterscotch sauce."

How to use butterscotch

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA sweet, buttery brown-sugar candy or sauce, and also its warm brownish color.

Common pairings

butterscotch sauce butterscotch candy

Word forms

butterscotches plural

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Fill the gap

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Grandma always kept a tin of _____ on the shelf.

Etymology

From butter plus a form of "scotch" meaning "to score/nick" — describing how the hardened candy is scored to make it easy to break apart, not a reference to Scotland or scotch whisky.

Frequently asked questions

What does “butterscotch” mean?

The word “butterscotch” means a hard candy or sauce made from butter, brown sugar, and syrup. In plain terms, a sweet, buttery brown-sugar candy or sauce, and also its warm brownish color.

How do you pronounce “butterscotch”?

“Butterscotch” is pronounced BUH-tuh-skoch (/ˈbʌtɚˌskɑt͡ʃ/ in IPA).

How do you use “butterscotch” in a sentence?

Here is “butterscotch” used in a sentence: “Grandma always kept a tin of butterscotch on the shelf.”

What part of speech is “butterscotch”?

“Butterscotch” is a noun.